Learning To Thrive Together

Ok, most of us that have been working out a long time realize that if you get enough protein and move your buns 4-6 days per week we can maintain some form of figure all year round. add a little intensity and cut your cheat meals back and your beach body is staring at you in the mirror within a few weeks.

ok so what about the rest of us? What about my peeps that get burnt out on exercise? your tired, busy, and frankly, you don't always have the energy to workout, but you still want to be healthy right?

most people fit into the category of working parent or busy american that has health information overload or both. you have tried every gym in town, every gadget on television, and every fad diet under the sun. but no matter how hard you try the weight comes back on, you get setbacks and your gym life is over until the next visit from the motivation fairy.

if this sounds like you, i get it. to be honest i don't feel like working out half of the time if not more. i'm extremely busy and keeping up my physique is annoying half the time. so how do i do it?

i focus on the most essential exercises that give me the biggest bang for my buck. i have a solid routine that i do so i don't waste my exercise time, and most of my exercise is body weight training from home.

i found that trying to get to the gym just didn't work consistently for my life. I needed something quick, effective, and predictable. this technique is what i use 80% of the time. This routine gets me through the stressful and demanding days when i don't have the motivation. the other 20% is my fun exercise days like, gym time, team workouts, 5-10k runs, sports, sunny hikes or runs etc.

Lets face it none of us have hours and hours a day to do all the fun exercise we want. that is why we need a solution for when in a time crunch, out of town, or at home lacking motivation. this is what i call the brushing your teeth exercise. like brushing your teeth for dental hygiene, we must exercise for healthy body hygiene. exercise is a non negotiable to staying healthy and trim all the days of our lives.

frustrated by all the information overload in the fitness market, i decided to come up with my own program. i wanted to come up with a program that would focus on injury prevention, and body weight strength and mobility. this way i and my clients would have a direct, precise, exercise routine that will help us be better at what we do in life.

out of this frustration the building supermen at home workout system was born. this program has 15 exercise progressions consisting of 5 beginner, 5 intermediate, and 5 advanced progressions. each time you master a workout, you can move on to the next one.

what is cool about this program is that you can take it as far as you want to. if you start on beginner 1 and you decide thats good enough for you right now then you can stay there as long as you want. if your a highly motivated individual and your goal is to finish the program as fast as possible, you can do that also.

the system was designed to meet each person where they are at and at the same time give you meaning behind your exercise. you no longer have to fill your time with filler exercise and waisted energy. the building supermen program only focuses on the most essential moves so you can finish and get back to life.

While meeting with hundreds of clients over the years I have asked many of them if they eat cultured foods in their diet. The answer usually is either “no”, “what is that”, or “yogurt”.

But what about all the other big players in the cultured food category? Chances are if you haven’t heard of Miso,Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Kefir, Kombucha, or Kevita Coconut Beverages, then you simply are not getting enough immune boosting bacteria in your diet.

More than ever before, science is learning how important it is to get cultured foods into your diet daily. The reason behind this is due to the important role bacteria play in your digestion and even metabolism.

An interesting study found that if you gave a sterol rat (no bacteria in gut) the bacteria from an overweight rat’s gut and another sterol rat the bacteria from a skinny rat that the sterol rat that had the skinny bacteria inserted stayed leaner than the rat which had the overweight rat’s bacteria inserted.

Science is only beginning to scratch the surface on the importance of these tiny little microorganisms. Here is an interesting fact: Your gut has over 3 million genes in it due to all the diverse species of bacteria but you only have around 10,000 genes! You have more genes from bacteria in and on you than you do genes of your own!

How can I get these beneficial critters each day?

There are a few ways to get cultured foods into your diet each day. Many of us only get beneficial bacteria when we eat yogurt and this isn’t always a guarantee. Yogurt has to be pasteurized in our country which kills most of the beneficial bacteria. Food manufacturers are getting better at adding the probiotics back in. Look for “Live and Active Cultures” on the label to make sure you're getting them. Even if the label says live and active cultures, most yogurts are still loaded with added sugar. Try this instead, get a plain organic greek or regular yogurt, add a tablespoon of honey and a few blueberries. This is much better than plain old cane sugar and will add some extra vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

In addition you can get probiotics from cultured beverages such as Kombucha(fermented tea) and Kevita (Cultured Coconut Water), and cultured vegetables such as, Pickles, cabbage(sauerkraut), and cucumbers,

Getting these cultured foods into your diet daily will help give your body a diverse probiotic population. Having a more diverse microbiome in your gut will help increase metabolism and assure your body is digesting and assimilating nutrients more efficiently.

Studies are beginning to arise showing how our bacteria help us stay lean and burning calories at a higher rate. The science is new but you don’t want to wait till you have missed the boat. To protect yourself try to eat cultured foods at least 2-3X per week to cover your bases.

To learn more I highly recommend the book The Microbiome Diet by Raphael Kellman, MD.Till next time,Jared Anderson

Eating healthy at a Gas Station?When every meal cannot be made from scratch along with all the perfect Paleo ingredient, what do we do?Sure, I am all for preparing your snacks and bringing a cooler when you’re on the road and I do that about 80 percent of the time. But sometimes it just doesn’t happen in the real world. Let’s face it, we are not all being paid to have perfect bodies and some of the general public just doesn’t care about nutrition as much as us nutrition enthusiasts.So what do we do when we are in Tim Buck Two and the only thing around is a Dollar General and a Gas station? I have been in these tough situation before and here are a few items that you can find at almost every gas station.Let’s start with the beverage Isles first. Before reaching for a soda or a juice, look to see if they have any Coconut Waters such as Ziico Brand. Coconut Water is loaded with Potassium and only about a third of the sugar of Soda and Juice.Next let’s go look for some protein options. Most gas stations I stop in now have Muscle Milk, Core Protein Shakes, Cliff Builder Bars, and Supreme Bars. Look for a bar with more protein than sugar if possible. If not go for it anyway. Trust me it’s better than the snickers.Can we find any healthy fats? Most gas stations will have some small packages of raw nuts and seeds. Try to go with raw but if you cannot find them then roasted is ok.Lastly look to see if they have any bananas, apples, or oranges. If they don’t look like they have been there for weeks purchase that instead of something packaged.Remember this isn’t trying to be optimal but this will get you by until you can get to a grocery store or restaurant with fresh meat and produce.If you are interested in trying some intermittent fasting then trying it when you know you will be somewhere without health options could be a great idea. Try this; eat healthy in the morning before leaving on the road. Bring a gallon of water with lemon and drink that until you get home for dinner. If you are going out for dinner and away from home for multiple days, then just make sure to order meat cooked with no oil, a potato, and salad with light dressing.We may not be able to be perfect, but by using these principles we can manage our health in any given situation.Yours in Health,Jared Anderson/Reconstructive Wellness

Who is Spaghetti Squash for?OK Pasta lovers, I know you're out there. If you're like me and enjoy spaghetti and meatballs from time to time but you don’t want to wreck your low carb lifestyle then spaghetti squash is for you. Spaghetti Squash is a large oval and yellow in color.

Spaghetti Squash is an excellent source of Vitamin B6, Manganese, Niacin, Potassium, Fiber, and Vitamin C among others. If your Paleo, Gluten Free, or just going low carb, Spaghetti Squash has a very low glycemic index which means it won’t spike your insulin causing increased blood sugar. We all know blood sugar spikes are bad for our hormones, mood, and waistline.How do I cook it?To cook a spaghetti squash I suggest watching my Video titled: “Spaghetti Squash 101” You can view the video here. If you don’t have a chain saw, cutting a spaghetti squash can be a workout in and of itself. I think Edward Scissor Hands would even have a hard time with this thing! To make life easier set your stove to 375 and bake the squash for about 15 minutes.

Next pull the squash back out and cut the end off and then down the middle with a large knife. After you have scraped the seeds and filing out, place the squash face down on a baking sheet and cook another 20-25 minutes. I usually cook 20 so it is still a little on the al dente side.Once you have fully cooked the spaghetti Squash, scrape the insides onto a plate with a fork and cover with your favorite meat sauce or basil pesto with olive oil.This is a great pasta noodle alternative and its fairly easy to make. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks in the kitchen.Get Your Wellness On!Oh, and for a great recipe with Spaghetti Squash check out my recipe section here.Recipe: Makes 2-3 servings double for leftovers to make tomorrow’s lunch easier :) For the Squash:Cooking PanLarge cutting knifeSea Salt, Pepper and Kerri Gold Butter (optional)

For the Meat Sauce:1 pound grass fed, regular 97/3, or bison 1 can organic diced tomato1 can tomato sauce1 TBSP Olive OilDried Italian seasoning1 teaspoon turmericdash of Black Pepper 1 Garlic CloveDirections:Bake Spaghetti Squash on 375 for 15 minutes before cutting. Pull out of oven and cut ends off and cut down the middle. Scrape out the insides and place face down on your cooking sheet. You may rub with a tablespoon of butter and sprinkle salt and pepper on it. Bake an additional 20-25 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, it's hot! Scrape the insides onto a plate with a metal fork. Be careful it's hot. While the Spaghetti Squash is baking cook up a pound of grass fed beef or bison with the olive oil, garlic clove and black pepper. Once the meat is done, add your can of diced tomatoes, italian seasoning, and turmeric and cook till lightly bubbling. Pour meat sauce over your spaghetti Squash and enjoy.Tip: Try to have a side salad with this not bread. This will get you more antioxidants and be easier on digestion. Your goal is to get 3 cups of leafy greens and 3 cups of colorful vegetables and fruits per day so make each meal count!Also if you're broke and can’t afford organic or expensive beef still by the ingredients and make this. It will be much better than eating fast food or nothing at all.

Eat Cheaper But Not Cheap!When I first set out to write this blog post I was going to focus on how to eat food as cheap as possible and still thrive in a fast paced, fast food world. However as I got to thinking, I realized I don’t like the word “Cheap” when it comes to what we fuel our bodies with.We were born to eat and drink to thrive. And the quality of our food creates the quality of the human. So why are we always looking for a cheap fix to our health? Why are we willing to spend thousands of dollars on high end cars and/or entertainment but we want cheap when it comes to the fuel we are putting into our body?Sure there are many tricks to saving money while still thriving but we still need to remove cheap from our vocabulary. You wouldn’t fuel a high end performance vehicle with unleaded fuel and neither should you fuel the amazing body God gave you with cheap fuel if it can even be called fuel.Before I dive into ways to save money and places you can go for cheaper quality food. Lets look at a few perspectives on health to see if eating healthy really is expensive like we think it is.I have met with hundreds of clients over the years that say they cannot afford supplements, high quality snacks, and organic foods because of cost. They say that their family is too big and the grocery bill would be far too expensive. Many of these families already have children who are addicted to sugary snacks, cereals, and drinks. Many of these brands are actually expensive for what they actually are. Another issue with most families today is going out to eat. We have been lead to think that Mcdonalds and fast food is cheap but is it really? Let's break down a basic sandwich at Mcdonalds. If you were to order a cheeseburger it would cost you about $1.29 and the quarter pounder would be $4.69 just for the sandwich. Let's keep in mind that Mcdonald's is very poor quality using cheap ingredients and heavily processed. Poor food quality leads to premature aging, low energy, increased blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin spikes leading to early death and increased healthcare cost over time. To treat these diseases it can get very expensive later in life. So many of us are so unhealthy that our healthcare cost are through the roof. Can you imagine what we could pay for health care if everyone was eating for health and not pleasure?Ok now that I got off my soap box let's take a look at a sandwich you could prepare from home with what most people consider outrageously expensive ingredients. To make my healthy sandwich we will take you to Wholefoods which most people call Whole Paycheck. Our first item on our grocery list is a loaf of Ezekiel Bread. The average cost for Ezekiel bread is $4.50 a loaf but let's pretend it's $6.00 just to make a point. After we get the bread let's head over to the eggs and get some real expensive pasture raised eggs for lets say another $6.00 for a dozen. Once we have our eggs and bread our last stop is the cheese section. I am going to purchase a little block of Grass Fed Cheddar for lets say another $6.00.Before I am tempted to get anything unnecessary I am going to go ahead and check out. I have already spent so much on just three items. For just eggs, bread, and cheese I spent nearly $20.00!Let's see how the price per sandwich compares to our Mcdonald's counterpart. So we bought three items at $6.00 a piece for a total of $18.00. Our loaf of bread has enough pieces for six sandwiches. If we use 2 eggs for each sandwich we can get six servings out of the pasture raised eggs we purchased. Lastly let's cut up the cheese into 12 pieces and place two slices on each sandwich.If we get six sandwiches out of the loaf of bread then we paid $1.00 for the bread per sandwich. In addition to the bread, our cost for two eggs is $1.00. Lastly the cheese cost $1.00 for two pieces. Our total cost for the sandwich is $3.00. This price is right in between the cost of the hamburger and the quarter pounder from Mcdonald's.Not only is our sandwich close in price to a Mcdonald's sandwich but our sandwich is much more nutrient rich and will provide longer lasting energy and greatly reduce some of the risk factors created by eating processed foods.We could make this sandwich a little cheaper by only using 1 egg and 1 slice of cheese. If we did that our sandwich would cost $2.00. Now keep in mind that is based on each item costing $6.00. What if we could get each item for $4.00? Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel?Some of you may be thinking well I don’t eat bread. That makes it even cheaper. A bunch of kale is only $2.00-$3.00 dollars for a bunch. You could saute the kale in some lite soy sauce and have your two eggs with it. This would drop the cost to under $2.00 per plate!You parents out there are thinking ya right. I am busy and my kids hate vegetables. Unfortunately food industry has done a great job at marketing to your children and chemical companies have done a wonderful job at adding the right food additives to make your child addicted to there foods. Food industry also knows that what we eat daily contributes to molding our palet. In order to have your children eat and enjoy real food we must step out of the food predicament we are in and begin practicing healthy habits.Sure it will be a challenge at first but within a few months it will be much more manageable. Only you can take control of your family's health. Our country is suffering from more health challenges than ever before. Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Cancer are on the rise and most of this could be prevented by eating a fresh, whole food diet.Trust me your families health is worth it! Most of my meals average between 1.50-4.50 per plate. This is for high quality meats and organic veggies. Let me ask you when is the last time you went out to dinner and the menu had options for this price point? The answer is never.If you want to thrive in a our world today you must first come to the realization that being healthy in a unhealthy culture is not easy. Sure it's tiring going to the grocery store after a long day and on the weekends pre cooking meals for the week. I promise you as you continue to make healthy choices it gets easier and easier. With time you will find out how to be efficient in the kitchen. For instance you may cook two or three pounds of chicken breast and freeze some for later in the week instead of just getting out what you need for one meal. When you're chopping veggies cut up more than what you are going to use for that meal and place in resealable bags for later use.The possibilities are endless once you make the tough decision to thrive for life.